How often should I do Pilates?
Exercise is the closest thing we have to the elixir of life.
More is better, and more intensity is better.
But any amount, at any intensity is beneficial for health.
How much should we move?
The benefits of physical activity are almost endless.
The UK Chief Medical Officers' Guidelines [1] and the World Health Organisation recommend each week, adults do:
at least 150-300 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic physical activity OR
at least 75-150 minutes of vigorous intensity aerobic activity OR
a mixture of both
AND
Strengthening activities on at least two days.
What does that even mean?
Let’s break it down.
Moderate Intensity exercise
Through aerobic exercise such as walking, jogging, cycling (or anything you enjoy), a moderate intensity is where you are a little out of breath and you can’t quite talk comfortably.
Vigorous Intensity exercise
Also through aerobic exercise, vigorous intensity is where you are more out of breath and can say just a few words at a time.
Strengthening activities
Resistance exercise is bringing a muscle group to near-failure. Resistance exercise are things such as Pilates, lifting weights in the gym, carrying heavy shopping or kids (or anything else you enjoy).
Ever been at that point where you’ll face plant if you do anymore press-ups? Or your glutes or abs are on fire from the Pilates you’ve been doing? That’s it…that’s fatigue or near failure and where you gain the most health benefits.
And it’s this part that is most commonly missed. So many of us focus on step count or taking a run.
But far fewer of us resistance train to strengthen our bodies.
Why should we move?
Physical inactivity is associated with 1 in 6 deaths in the UK and is estimated to cost the UK £7.4 billion annually (including £0.9 billion to the NHS alone). [2]
We are around 20% less active than in the 1960s and if current trends continue, it will be 35% less active by 2030.
What are the benefits of resistance training?
Undertaking ANY amount of resistance training* reduces the risk of [3]:
all-cause mortality by 15%
cardiovascular disease mortality by 19%
and cancer mortality by 14%
At around 60 minutes per week of resistance training, a peak all-cause mortality reduction is 27%. Mortality risk reduction diminishes at higher volumes, so you don’t need to spend hours in the gym or Pilates studio
*When compared with undertaking no resistance training at all.
And when we do the guideline amount of aerobic exercise, we benefit from [4]:
44% less chance of death by any cause in the next 10 years.
39% reduction in diabetes mortality
60% reduction in mortality from cardiovascular disease (heart attack, stroke etc).
And here’s another bonus - if you do more than half of your aerobic activity at vigorous intensity, there is a further reduction in all cause mortality of 17%, compared to doing it all at moderate activity.
So, how often should I do Pilates?
Let’s refer back to the Physical Activity Guidelines at the start.
It tells us we should strength or resistance train at least twice a week for the most health benefits.
and we’ve also seen that around 1 hour of resistance training give us the peak reduction in all-cause mortality.
So unless you’re getting your resistance training with other forms of physical activity, two sessions a week of Pilates or an hour of pure resistance training is just the ticket.
Does Pilates count as resistance training?
It sure does. As long as you’re in a session that challenges your body to get your major muscle groups to near failure AS WELL AS progressively loading. That means, not staying at the same level for the next 5 years.
Over time, you’ll need to up the load (more weight, resistance or use more of your body weight in the movement) as your body will become more resilient and stronger the more you expose it to.
Move well • Live Life Fearlessly
References
[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/physical-activity-guidelines
[2] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/physical-activity-applying-all-our-health/physical-activity-applying-all-our-health#:~:text=The%20UK%20Chief%20Medical%20Officers,strengthening%20activities%20on%20two%20days
[3] Shailendra et al (2022). Resistance Training and Mortality Risk: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
[4] Lee et al (2011). Comparisons of leisure-time physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness as predictors of all cause mortality in men and women. Br J Sports